a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of improved internal combustion engine
performance, and in particular to methods and apparatus to assist in stabilizing the flow
of flow of fuel mixture into the intake manifold of a carbureted internal combustion engine by providing and improved carburetor spacer
b) Description of the Prior Art
It is advantageous for carbureted internal combustion engines, especially engines used in performance automobiles or racing automobiles, to increase performance by developing maximum power and torque throughout the revolutions per minute (RPM) range of the engine. Such performance is usually manifested in engine throttle response and acceleration and of course top speed.
In a carbureted engine, the carburetor serves to determine the amount of fuel and oxidizer to be provided to the cylinders for burning and production of power. Thus air, an oxidizer, or another oxidizer, such as nitrous oxide, and fuel, usually gasoline, are input to a carburetor which meters both the air and oxidizer to provide a predetermined ratio of fuel and oxidizer. The carburetor also atomizes or vaporizes the fuel and mixes it with the oxidizer such that optimum burning of the fuel occurs during the power stroke of the pistons. Thus, the carburetor sets the stage for the ultimate performance of the engine. However, the output of a carburetor must be delivered in equal parts to each of the cylinders of an engine in order to continue the performance chain. An intake manifold serves this function. Many improvements have been made to intake manifolds in the nature of maintaining the previously supplied optimal mixture of the atomized fuel—oxidizer by not allowing the fuel to revert back to its liquid state and deposited out of the mixture onto one or more surfaces of the intake manifold, and to minimize pressure drop losses within the intake manifold that can inhibit the maximum flow of the fuel-oxidizer mixture.
In the relatively recent past, the performance of carbureted engines have been improved by the advent of a spacer located between the outlet of the carburetor and the inlet of the intake manifold. The spacer being exactly as it is stated, a device that adds space between the carburetor and the intake manifold. As would be expected, the spacer has been improved over the years and present day spacers significantly add to the power and torque produced by performance engines.
Present day spacers take a number of different forms. They are of different lengths, different internal sizes, have one or more flow passages, are made from different material, are manufactured by different methods such as casting, CNC machining, and the internal passages have taken on different shapes- all or any one of them to improve velocity of the fuel-oxidizer, the atomization and vaporization of the fuel, the oxygenation of the fuel and the mixing of the fuel and oxidizer. Still another improvement has been to provide means within the spacer to input an additional oxidizer and fuel. My previous U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,805, issued Aug. 7, 2001. is directed to this latter improvement.
Unfortunately, there are factors that occur during the operation and running of an internal combustion engine that tend to upset even a very carefully optimized and distributed fuel mixture. For example, the engine itself creates vibrations and resonances during its operation which can result in disturbing the atomization, vaporization, oxygenation, and distribution of the fuel mixture and therefore disadvantageously affect the output of the engine. Additional vibrations and resonances can be induced into the fuel mixture delivery system due to the engine being connected to its supporting structure. For example, if the engine is bolted directly to its supporting structure with no rubber or isolation dampening medium placed between the engine and its mounting structure, which direct bolting is often used in race cars. the probably of induced vibrations is increased. Even with the use of an isolation medium between the engine and its supporting structure, vibrations can be induced. Likewise, if the engine is used in an automobile, performance or otherwise, the road conditions can have an effect on the induced vibrations. There are probably other factors that cause and or aggravate the unwanted vibrations. As noted, the vibrations are one factor that can reduce the optimum performance of an internal combustion engine by disturbing the preferred or optimal atomization and distribution of the fuel mixture.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to minimize the effect of the ever present resonances and vibrations on the atomization, vaporization, mixing, and distribution of the fuel mixture being delivered to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. The present invention accomplishes this objective in a proven manner.